That One Time
by Mesmeric.Midnight
Summary: The Universe is fickle OR possible ways James Bond and Alex Rider could have met. Drabbles featuring femAlex and 007.
1. Chapter 1: The Eyes Have It

M lowered the papers she was skimming through one last time and gave a heavy look at the tenured agent sitting across from her. Any other mission of this caliber would be handed to the next available double-o agent. However, this case was time sensitive with a higher body-count preferable. Flipping back to beginning of the file, the haunted look of a young girl filled the page. Rider. That particular family had a long history of involvement in the clandestine services of the government. It seems the latest member was no exception, and she came with a substantial resume and a flare for pyrotechnics. Alexandra would need to be acquired by M immediately. M learned long ago not to expect any gratitude in this field, but Alex might be the exception.

"007," she began, waiting for his attention to shift fully onto her, "This mission must be completed immediately. After debrief, I'm sending you to outfitted."

She slid the folder across the desk that sat between them, and waited for him to begin the conversation.

"This is a child," Bond stated after flipping through the first few pages.

"Yes," said M, not bothering to waste words, "At age 14, Agent Rider began working for a branch of the government that was ousted and eliminated two weeks ago thanks to information from MI5. As you might have guessed, our counterpart in domestic affairs was not pleased to discover another department running ops that they no business getting involved in. MI5 quickly shut down the operations, but testament from one of the leaders of the frankly, illegal organization brought something, or rather someone, to our attention."

M paused and waited for Bond to say anything, but he gave her a small nod to continue.

"Rider has been deployed on several missions and was investigating a prostitution ring on the Continent when Blunt's operations ceased. We attempted to establish contact, but she fell off the grid after the disestablishment of the syndicate running the trafficking ring."

Bond clenched his jaw at the thought of a young female agent investigating illegal trafficking. He knew what kinds of people were involved in those situations and the thought of a teenaged girl in that, albeit a fairly lethal one given the information from her file, was sickening.

"So, you've found her," said Bond.

"We picked up this video two days ago."

Bond watched the small monitor on the desk. Rider was behind bars, arms chained to the wall, and clad in very little clothing. The camera zoomed in and Rider raised her head to look directly into the camera before the screen darkened. The famed double-0 stopped breathing for a moment as he caught the look in the girl's eyes. That sharp, calculating intellect overshadowed by weariness. It was a look he knew well. A short code appeared on the screen before the screen darkened.

"Local agents in the area have gathered that Rider will be in this location for at least four more days. Her captors are the last remnants of the trafficking ring, and there are ties to local law enforcement. We do not know who this video was sent to, but Rider has a long list of enemies, including old remnants of SCORPIA."

Bond's eyebrows rose slightly at the mention of the famous terrorist organization.

"Agent Rider is our leading expert on SCORPIA, and one of the primary reasons for their fall. She is a highly trained young woman, and would be a valuable asset to any organization. "

M met Bond's eyes and let out a short breath.

"There's going to be an auction in exactly one week. You have to get her out before that happens."


	2. Chapter 2: Going Up

Alex Rider squashed the urge to groan as she stepped into the lift on a busy Tuesday afternoon. Bloody underground headquarters crosses a good part of London, and she manages to always find _the_ one lift with her Majesty's favorite double-0. Like always, he was dressed in his some ludicrously, expensive polished suit, and wearing that damn smirk.

"007," she said after pressing the fourth button from the right.

"004, lovely to see you again," he replied casually.

The young spy had met James Bond prior to her official initiation into MI6 when she was still working for Blunt. She had been on a mission in Hungary when things ended in a shootout. She may or may not have accidentally shot the other man before learning they were on the same side. The Double-0 had taken her back to headquarters, and she had been more than happy to tell M every detail about Blunt.

Did that meant she owed him? No.

She had repaid her debt eight months later when she pulled him out of a pinch is Singapore (Bond still claims he had everything under control). He still shows up on the most random of her ops, only to "save the day." It's getting quite annoying.

Suddenly, she sees a slight movement in the corner of the eye and realizes Bond has been examining her. Silently berating herself for allowing herself to be lost in thought, she turned to address the other agent when the lift jolts to a halt.

"Oh, you've got to be joking!" she exclaims.

She's just come back from being debriefed after a long mission in a cold, cold, location, and wants nothing more than to get out of the building and into her warm flat.

"Lockdown protocols. No cell signal. No communications. Do you think one of the newbies wandered into a restricted section again?" asked Bond.

"With our luck, it's likely an old terrorist organization looking to overturn the Queen," she replied.

With nothing else to do in this situation, she loosened the collar of her shirt and leaned against the wall.

James simply leaned against the wall adjacent to her, and continued to stare intently at her.

No gunshots or explosions could be heard. Hopefully, they'd be out of there soon.

Six minutes ticked by, and finally Alex had enough. After years of being lied to and manipulated, she preferred to take the direct approach in conversations with her coworkers.

"Why are you staring at me?"

"You're lovely to look at," replied Double 007.

"Bond. You've done nothing but stare at me since I entered this lift. You've also crashed no less than five of my missions. I don't know if you think I still owe you or what…"

"That's not it," he interrupted.

She blinked at him before continuing.

"Oh, than please enlighten me as to what I need to do so that you stop."

Something in her face must have given him pause, as he continued to stare at her. It might have been the fatigue, but it was probably the irritating look of suspicion that he saw. No one ever took this much time to interfere with her missions unless they were trying to kill her.

"You don't owe me. I know you repaid me for saving my life in Singapore and again in Moscow. But I owe you much more than that."

Floored, Alex straightened up and looked more closely at Bond.

"Bond, you don't owe me anything. Technically, I should still owe you for sending me to M."

"Alex," he said. She really looked at him now; he only ever called her Alexandra or 003.

"You are one of the first women and fellow agent to be unscathed by my life. You haven't tried to kill me or use me or manipulate me. You're honest; your sense of justice is unwavering. I'm getting too old to continue being an active agent. M will be pushing for my retirement soon, if I don't get killed in the field. But you are one of the few things in this agency that I will ensure lives on past my death."

The lights flicked to life above them, and the lift continued its ascent.


	3. Chapter 3: Soulful Conversations

As soon as she could read, Alex knew her soulmate was going to be horrendous.

_I don't suppose you could turn around and forget you saw me?_

Those were the lovely words printed on her neck just under her ear in sharp, black ink.

* * *

The words of a soulmate were sacred in some societies, sacrilegious to some groups, and forbidden in others. To a small girl with no parents and an absent at best uncle, her soul-mark was too distinct to not shape her life. When her house keeper told her fairytale stories about famous meetings (Romeo and Juliet, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, etc.), Alex simply nodded and hoped that no one would ever see her words.

At age 9, Alexandra decided she did not want to meet her soulmate.

At age 11, she determined that she was independent woman and didn't need anyone, especially an uncle that was only occasionally present.

At age 14, Alex might have found solace knowing someone was out there waiting for her, but she learned long ago she would have to save herself.

(The British intelligence service agreed).

* * *

Alex stalked through the surprisingly brightly lit hallway searching for her mark, an arms dealer with shady practices that had stirred up enough trouble that larger players had noticed. The flaming distraction she had set earlier would occupy the guards that hadn't already been taken care of, but she knew she only had a few minutes. Hence, why she was slinking towards the back of the building where her Intel said the leader would be taking care of other matters.

She had given up the life of a spy after a rival agency gave her a better offer. MI6 tried to rein her in, but a freelance wet-work artist had _so_ many promising options. No more forced missions. No more brief periods of rest. Alex played by her own rules, and her clients knew to respect those wishes.

Slowly opening the reinforced steel door, she immediately pointed her weapon at the occupants in the small room. In the next two seconds, her payment was secured.

A slight clink drew her gaze to the other man in the room as he shifted against the chains keeping him attached to the back wall. He stared at the assassin as she raised her weapon again. The double-0 knew he had a hefty price on his head, but he never expected that a slip of a young girl would be the one to take him out in an enemy compound.

"I don't suppose you could just leave and forget you saw me?" he inquired softly.

* * *

Bond saw the assassin's left eye twitch and watched her gun waiver slightly. After a few seconds watching the girl clearly have some sort of internal battle, she let out a breath and opened her mouth.

"I should shoot you for that," she said narrowing her gaze, but not lowering her gun.

Blinking, Bond raised an eyebrow, "Another time, maybe?"

Finally putting her gun down, Alex moved to release her so-called soulmate.


	4. Chapter 4: Compare and Contrast

James was raised in a cold manor in Scotland with absent parents and a house full of dark shadows that would seem to follow him for the rest of his life. He worked hard through school before eventually joining the Navy where he earned the rank of commander. Something about following orders (or disregarding them only to still succeed) was something he could do. An unfortunate mission placed him on the radar of the Secret Intelligence Service and he threw himself into his new calling. He was a legendary double-0 within the year. He has very few unsuccessful missions, despite ignoring the advice of Q-branch, and discovered an enthusiasm for explosions.

After her parents were killed, Alex grew up in a house in London's West End. She was cared for by an unusually absent uncle (that truly did love her, just wasn't there to show it), and a housekeeper that was her mother/sister/mentor all in one. She always did well in class and was considered a bright child. When she was 14, she was drafted into the world of espionage by a cruel man with crueler intentions. Her uncle was dead. She lost her housekeeper two years later to a heart attack (Alex knew poison was the cause). Blunt, she later learned, was a member of MI5 that was trying to prove that MI6 was obsolete. She met M's secretary at St. Dominic's. She always had a knack for surviving the impossible.

James and Alex. Bond and Rider. 007 and 002.

MI6 would know them as their two most beautiful and terrifying agents.

007's demeanor alone could empty an entire room, never mind when he actually revealed his temper. His bulking figure and piercing eyes pinned unsuspecting victims leaving them incapable of action or thought. He never returned his equipment, and always turned in his reports at least four days late. However, he was honest (brutally so), and only pissed off the ones that deserved it. He could also endear you with charming words and coy smiles. His abilities to manipulate were highly sought after in many cases, and he would use his body and mind to ensnare. His eyes would smolder and he would draw you in with a magnetic pull. Flirting with this double-0 was practically an extreme sport, and his opponent always lost.

002 had similar features to her experienced counterpart, blonde hair and blue eyes. Yet, her physical appearance was slim and delicate (more the fool be to those that couldn't see her fearsome strength). She was always calm. Her voice sweet and soft spoken towards others. She would sometimes let others glimpse a small smile that made her glow. The staff loved her; her equipment and reports always submitted on time in pristine condition. She used all of this to her advantage (as she always has). She was demure at times and striking when required, but she never stopped observing. She would twist everything you knew (about her, your intentions, your beliefs, your life, your soul) and emerge victor.

Their circumstances were different, and their paths into adulthood diverged, but they really are similar in the most important of ways.

James and Alex both grew up knowing the absence of a loving father and mother. They worked hard and picked up on concepts quickly, because it was the only way they knew how to survive. They were alone, manipulated and molded by their superiors to devote everything to Queen and Country (because it was all they had left). Ruthless and effective were often used to describe their methods. Their personal relationships with others stunted by not enough love as a child and the inability to love due to their work. They had both proved why that was the best policy.

There is only one recorded mission of the two agents officially ordered to complete their task together. It supposedly involved the dismantling and destruction of a large threat to the Crown in a small encampment in Russia, but few people (especially at MI6) actually know if that information is true. Normally, the top double-0s were only sent on solo missions. Their skills too valuable to waste and too high in demand for them to team up. No one was sure if they would come back alive or if one would kill the other first. They completed their mission in one week with minor injuries.

What most of MI6 had failed to glean, or rather, what 007 and 002 kept hidden, was that the two agents were quite close. They met in the training facilities one night and nearly beat each other to death, but the two became close. It wasn't a traditional romantic relationship, no handholding, flowers, or dinner dates. 002 would spend extra hours teaching 007 different fighting techniques and language; sometimes updating him on the latest technological advances relevant to their field. 007 logged overtime making 002 a more experienced shooter and pushed that she remember the difference between being an agent and an asset (you could do very little if dead). 002 would drop by 007's flat and help cook him meals, so he could return to a warm flat. 007 would always bring 002 a small sweet from wherever he happened to go, and he convinced Q to text him updates of her missions (alive or trouble, because the thought of her dying was not an option).

It was quite obvious they cared for each other and compensated for what the other lacked, but survival was the only game they knew how to play.

And they constantly played to win.


End file.
